Interesting.I knew somebody was going to say something like this. There is nothing silly or cartoony about the idea of cetacean sentience. Scientists and SF authors have recognized it for generations, to the point that many scientists now argue that dolphins should be legally recognized as people and granted the same rights as humans.
Scientists say dolphins should be treated as non-human persons
(PhysOrg.com)—Scientists studying dolphin behavior have suggested they could be the most intelligent creatures on Earth after humans, saying the size of their brains in relation to body size is larger than that of our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, and their behaviors suggest complex...phys.org
Basically, the above article says that by every neurological and behavioral standard of intelligence we know, dolphins rate nearly equal to humans. Indeed, the article leaves out some things, like the fact that they can understand spoken English (while we still can't understand their language), the fact that they give themselves names, and the fact that in some cognitive areas, their brains seem to be even more developed than ours. According to the paper A Comparison of Primate and Dolphin Intelligence as a Metaphor for the Validity of Comparative Studies of Intelligence, “In certain areas of the brain concerned with ’emotional control, objectivity, reality orientation, humor, logically consistent abstract thought and higher creativity’ dolphins have [a] higher ratio of neural density” than humans. So even if dolphins aren’t quite as smart as we are (and that’s far from certain), they’re probably a lot saner.
SeaQuest, after all, was a show that, in its first season before it was dumbed down, strove to be a plausible hard science fiction series whose stories were extrapolated from real science (discounting the occasional one about psychics, ghosts, or aliens -- nobody's perfect). They included Darwin because science says that dolphins are probably comparable to humans in intelligence. Rick Sternbach (who's painted a number of SF novel covers featuring tool-using dolphins) and Michael Okuda undoubtedly established Cetacean Ops in the TNG Tech Manual for the same reason.
Doubts about Cetacean Ops
- Thread starter Misuka
- Start date
Thanks. I was starting to wonder if that could be it, although for me, that one detail kind of got lost, maybe sort of the same way I had to be looking specifically for the reference to Hamparian inventing the "magic kidney pill," in order to see it as anything other than a throwaway bit.
No, it is indeed silly. And scientists have been known to argue for many ludicrous things. This is one of them.
The Spice Must Float? (envisioning spice melange being sprinkled on CetOps water like fish food)
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It was really far towards the end of the book.
I knew somebody was going to say something like this. There is nothing silly or cartoony about the idea of cetacean sentience. Scientists and SF authors have recognized it for generations, to the point that many scientists now argue that dolphins should be legally recognized as people and granted the same rights as humans.
Scientists say dolphins should be treated as non-human persons
(PhysOrg.com)—Scientists studying dolphin behavior have suggested they could be the most intelligent creatures on Earth after humans, saying the size of their brains in relation to body size is larger than that of our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, and their behaviors suggest complex...
Basically, the above article says that by every neurological and behavioral standard of intelligence we know, dolphins rate nearly equal to humans. Indeed, the article leaves out some things, like the fact that they can understand spoken English (while we still can't understand their language), the fact that they give themselves names, and the fact that in some cognitive areas, their brains seem to be even more developed than ours. According to the paper A Comparison of Primate and Dolphin Intelligence as a Metaphor for the Validity of Comparative Studies of Intelligence, “In certain areas of the brain concerned with ’emotional control, objectivity, reality orientation, humor, logically consistent abstract thought and higher creativity’ dolphins have [a] higher ratio of neural density” than humans. So even if dolphins aren’t quite as smart as we are (and that’s far from certain), they’re probably a lot saner.
This is fascinating. I knew they were intelligent but didn’t think it was on this scale. I’m always open to reevaluate my opinion in the light of new information.
You know this is gonna end up with a pool where the captains chair used to be.
"This is Captain "clicky-whistle dolphin name" (talk about a name you couldn't pronounce! Do dolphins have their own names?) You are in violation of Federation territory..."
"This is Captain "clicky-whistle dolphin name" (talk about a name you couldn't pronounce! Do dolphins have their own names?) You are in violation of Federation territory..."
As I mentioned before, yes, they do give themselves unique identifying sounds.
Self awareness on that level equates sentience to me.
Science increasingly suggests that sentience, i.e. feeling and awareness of qualia, exists in many, perhaps most vertebrates to some degree. Dogs and cats, for instance, seem to have an awareness level comparable to a 3- or 4-year-old human child. Sapience, i.e. sophisticated intelligence and cognition, is another matter, although Star Trek and other science fiction tends to use "sentience" to mean sapience.
I should have wrote "questions" instead of "doubts"...One the list of "doubtful" things in Trek, Cetacean Ops is way down on the list.
At least Dark Helmet had the presence of mind to cancel the three-ring circus in an emergency.
Except for Rutherford. Him they like. Very much.Maybe the Cetaceans doubt the Humans too…
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